Cannot enable VirtualMachinePlatform

Question

PS C:\Users\admin> Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -All

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature : One or several parent features are disabled so current feature can not be enabled.

At line:1 char:1

• Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlat ...

• 
      + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature], COMException 
  
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Dism.Commands.EnableWindowsOptionalFeatureCommand 
  
  

I cannot enable VirtualMachinePlatform. I also tried the control panel but after I checked the box and click apply and ok, the box unchecked itself.

Answer 1

I know the holidays might have slowed this down, but I'm in essentially the same boat and getting all the same results as Byron.

I installed wsl Ubuntu yesterday and all was well. This morning I tried to launch an Ubuntu shell and it wouldn't start and gave this error:

The operation could not be started because a required feature is not installed.
Error code: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/CreateVm/HCS/HCS_E_SERVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE

Is it a coincidence that Windows Update did the following update this morning?

2024-12 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5048667)

I'm stuck. I've used WSL frequently on both this computer and my work computer. I uninstalled it yesterday so that I could make a video and document the steps involved for students in a class I'm teaching next semester.

Answer 2

I have enabled HypervisorPlatform and restarted my computer and can confirm this by running 'Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online' and get the output:
FeatureName : HypervisorPlatform

State : Enabled

Though I still get the same error when running 'Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -All'. Any next steps/parent features that I need to enable?

Answer 3

Thanks for updating me.

Please make sure this feature will be enabled on your computer. Open Powershell and run this command:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName HypervisorPlatform -All

If it fails too, please click on Start > Type system information and hit enter > On the System Summary page, scroll down and screenshot it. Then post it back. I want to confirm if your hardware supports it.

Thank you

Answer 4

PS C:\Users\admin> Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -All

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature : One or several parent features are disabled so current feature can not be enabled.

At line:1 char:1

• Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlat ...

• 
      + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature], COMException 
  
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Dism.Commands.EnableWindowsOptionalFeatureCommand  
    
  

This is what I got

Answer 5

Thanks for sending the screenshot.

Depending on the screenshot you are running Windows 11 Home Single Language. Unfortunately, Hyper-V is not available on Windows Home editions; it is exclusive to Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. This is why you cannot enable the Microsoft-Hyper-V feature.

However, the VirtualMachinePlatform feature can still be enabled on Windows Home for WSL and lightweight virtualization tasks.

Have you run this command in Powershell?

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -All